Earlier this month, VEDP Senior Economist Brian Kroll testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. The subject of the oversight hearing was “America’s Offshore Energy Resources: Creating Jobs, Securing America, and Lowering Prices.”

The subcommittee, led by Congressman Doug Lamborn, heard testimony from four experts on how offshore energy can be a catalyst for job creation and economic development, particularly in regions off the Outer Continental Shelf.

Using an economic impact analysis that assumed 2,000 MW of offshore wind capacity were built over a 10-year period and only half of the supply chain located in the Commonwealth, Kroll concluded that 2,125 direct jobs and 2,710 indirect jobs could be created in Virginia over the first five years, and an additional 1,635 direct jobs and 1,960 indirect jobs could be created over the last five years, for a grand total of 8,430 new jobs in Virginia.

These jobs would primarily come from sectors such as operations and maintenance, construction, and the manufacturing of nacelles, turbine blades and generators.

In addition, Kroll concluded these jobs would benefit Virginia through an additional $9 billion in GDP and $119 million in state-level tax revenue over the 10-year period.

With yesterday’s announcement that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is on track to issue the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy a wind energy research lease on the Outer Continental Shelf, Virginia’s wind industry continues to build momentum.

In December, we blogged about the positive announcements from the BOEM, advertising the first-ever wind energy lease sale on the Outer Continental Shelf, and from the Department of Energy, reporting that a Virginia team was one of seven projects awarded a grant for the engineering, design and installation of an offshore wind turbine demonstration facility.

Virginia is primed to be a leader in the offshore wind industry, providing the ideal combination of strong Class 6 winds, shallow waters off the coast, an experienced maritime workforce, a robust transportation network, and access to a fully operational high voltage transmission grid close to shore.

In the last few weeks, Virginia’s wind industry has won validation with two positive announcements from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Department of Energy (DOE).

On November 30, the BOEM announced federals waters off the Virginia coastline qualified as one of only two wind energy areas (WEAs) for the upcoming competitive lease sale process. This is the first-ever wind energy lease sale on the Outer Continental Shelf.

The Commonwealth’s WEA encompasses 112,800 acres located about 23.5 nautical miles off Virginia’s coastline. According to the BOEM, this area would have the capacity to produce more than 2,000 MW of wind generation, enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.

On December 12, the DOE announced that a Virginia team led by Dominion Virginia Power was one of seven projects awarded an initial grant of up to $4 million for the engineering, design and installation of an offshore wind turbine demonstration facility.

Dominion will install two Alstom 6-megawatt turbines off the Virginia coastline using an innovative “twisted jacket” foundation that requires less steel. In addition to Alstom Power Inc., the Dominion team includes KBR; the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME); the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute; and Newport News Shipbuilding.

Virginia-based Fugro Atlantic has also been selected by the DMME to conduct a geological survey to study the seafloor of Virginia’s WEA in the Outer Continental Shelf.

Recognition from both the BOEM and DOE highlights the Commonwealth’s strengths in the offshore wind industry. Virginia is well-positioned as a leader in this renewable energy field, offering the ideal combination of strong Class 6 winds, shallow waters off the coast, an experienced maritime workforce, a robust transportation network, and access to a fully operational high voltage transmission grid close to shore.

Often called the “Energy Capital of the East Coast,” Virginia is home to more than 380 energy companies and has seen more than $4.6 billion invested in energy projects over the last decade. To learn more about Virginia’s burgeoning energy industry, click here.

Coming shortly after Governor McDonnell’s Conference on Energy in Richmond, Va., the Commonwealth continues to lay claim to the title “Energy Capital of the East Coast.”

Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling spoke at the opening ceremony and VEDP Managing Director Jerry Giles was one of the panelists for the Virginia Spotlight session. Representatives from the Port of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy, and the Virginia Department of Commerce and Trade spoke at events throughout the conference.

In addition, VEDP shared a trade show booth with Poseidon Atlantic in close proximity to Fugro and the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition. Other Virginia-based companies in attendance included Apex Wind Energy, Bechtel Corp., and Maersk Line Limited.

VEDP and its partners continue to promote Virginia as the natural choice for the offshore wind industry. With its strong Class 6 winds, Virginia offers companies a central mid-Atlantic location, a high voltage transmission grid close to shore, and a premier maritime workforce with the largest industrial military complex in the U.S.

While the industry awaits news on the U.S. Bureau of Energy Management’s (BOEM’s) competitive auction process from its call for nominations last February, Virginia companies continue to make progress both on and offshore.

Poseidon Atlantic has installed its Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) monitoring position in Northampton County, Va., as part of its wind measurement campaign. The results show wind conditions are better than expected. The company has also commenced its phase two study investigating offshore testing sites.

Wind energy remains an important component of Virginia’s all-of-the-above approach to the energy crisis. Home to more than 380 energy companies, the Commonwealth has seen more than $4.6 billion invested in energy projects over the last ten years. To learn more, click here.

Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade Carrie Roth speaks about Virginia’s wind resources to a group of wind energy leaders at a dinner hosted by VEDP.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently initiated a Call for Information and Nominations to determine industry interest in commercial wind energy leases in federal waters off Virginia’s coast. This announcement is a significant milestone advancing Virginia’s offshore wind industry and moving the Commonwealth closer to claiming the title, “Energy Capital of the East Coast.”

Industry participants will have 45 days to respond to the Call, after which BOEM will determine whether the leasing process will be competitive or not. The Call Area was determined by the Virginia Renewable Energy Task Force in an effort to balance offshore wind development with protection of the environment and shipping interests. BOEM recently completed an environmental assessment of the area and determined that there would be “no significant impacts” in issuing these leases.

Virginia has already made significant strides in developing its offshore wind energy assets. The Commonwealth’s ideal combination of strong Class 6 winds and shallow waters that allow for the easy installation of turbines has attracted a number of players in the global supply chain.

Last October, Virginia’s Northampton County was selected as the site for Poseidon Atlantic, the first comprehensive testing and certification facility for both offshore and land-based wind turbines in the U.S. Poseidon Atlantic recently installed its first Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) monitoring position in Northampton County. The LIDAR system is about the size of an air conditioner and uses laser technology to measure wind speed, direction, frequency and strength. This project will be uniquely able to test and certify the entire wind turbine (as opposed to testing component parts).

In addition, Gamesa Technology Corp. and Newport News Shipbuilding, a unit of Huntington Ingalls Industries, have launched the Gamesa Offshore Wind Technology Center in Chesapeake, Va. The center has made significant strides in developing an offshore testing facility in the Chesapeake Bay, off the Eastern Shore. The test site has been identified and submarine testing of the ocean floor has begun. The test site is expected to be complete in late 2012 to early 2013.

To learn more about Virginia’s energy assets and why more than 380 energy companies have established operations in the Commonwealth, click here.

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About VEDP

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), a state authority created by the Virginia General Assembly to better serve those seeking a prime business location and increased trade opportunities, provides confidential site selection and international trade services. VEDP's mission: To enhance the quality of life and raise the standard of living for all Virginians, in collaboration with Virginia communities, through aggressive business recruitment, expansion assistance, and trade development, thereby expanding the tax base and creating higher-income employment opportunities.